Hurricane Sandy Aid

The Honorable John Boehner
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner and Representative Pelosi:

The nation’s governors urge Congress to act promptly to provide additional supplemental disaster assistance to address the effects of Hurricane Sandy. It’s been over 70 days since the nation’s second worst natural disaster hit the east coast. Further delays in action will only extend the recovery time for the more than 17.5 million people impacted by the storm. These citizens deserve the same swift federal assistance that has historically been provided for other disasters in this country.

Providing disaster relief is not and should never be a political issue. While state and local governments are working tirelessly to respond and recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Sandy, federal assistance is necessary to provide both immediate and long-term assistance to get states, communities and citizens back on their feet.

We call on Congress to act immediately to provide the comprehensive assistance necessary to get help where it is needed and lay the path for a full recovery that provides relief for citizens and allows states to build back critical housing, transportation and transit infrastructure.